Weekly Release #13
11/17/2003 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
This Week's Schedule
Michigan (17-10, 9-7 Big Ten) vs. Iowa (6-20, 1-15 Big Ten)
Friday, Nov. 21 7 p.m. Cliff Keen Arena Ann Arbor, Mich.
Michigan (17-10, 9-7 Big Ten) vs. No. 22 Minnesota (19-9, 12-4 Big Ten)
SENIOR NIGHT
Saturday, Nov. 22 7 p.m. Cliff Keen Arena Ann Arbor, Mich.
Television: None
Radio/Internet: Both matches this weekend will be broadcast live by WCBN-FM (88.3), U-Ms student-operated radio station. The match can also be heard live on the Internet at www.wcbn.org.
Series Information: Michigan is 20-24 all-time against Iowa and has downed the Hawkeyes in four of the last five meetings, including a 3-0 (30-25, 30-18, 30-9) victory on Oct. 25 in Iowa City. U-M has won the last seven outings with the Hawkeyes at Cliff Keen Arena ... The Wolverines own an 8-35 record against Minnesota but have dropped nine of the last 10 meetings, including a 3-1 (26-30, 30-21, 26-30, 29-31) setback on Oct. 24 in Minneapolis. U-M has won two of the last five outings against the Golden Gophers at Cliff Keen Arena, including a victory in 2001.
Opponent Information: For information on Iowa volleyball, visit www.hawkeyesports.com ... For information on Minnesota volleyball, visit www.gophersports.com.
This Week's Storylines
Going for No. 10 -- With a 9-7 record in Big Ten play, Michigan has two cracks at its 10th conference victory this weekend. In its 21-plus year history in the Big Ten, the Wolverines have only posted 10 or more wins on five occasions, including 10 wins last season. The school record for wins in a conference season is 13, established in 1997.
Saying Farewell -- Saturday's (Nov. 22) match against No. 22 Minnesota will be Senior Night at Cliff Keen Arena, as the Wolverines will honor their seniors following the match.
There's a Lot Going On This Weekend -- In addition to Senior Night on Saturday, the Wolverines will honor their parents on Parents' Night on Friday (Nov. 21) before taking on Iowa. In addition, senior Erin Moore will be recognized prior to the match as the 2003-04 recipient of the Donald R. Shepherd scholarship for volleyball.
The Big Ten's Most Complete Player -- Senior Erin Moore is arguably the leading candidate for the Big Ten's Player of the Year award as the conference's most complete player, as she ranks among the top six in three different categories in league matches -- hitting percentage (4th - .331), kills (4th - 4.49 per game), and blocks (6th - 1.24 per game). No other player in the conference can claim that distinction.
Reaching for New Heights -- Michigan has surpassed its win total from a year ago (16) with 17 victories and is two wins away from equaling the highest win total of head coach Mark Rosen's tenure. The Wolverines tallied 19 wins during the 2000 campaign, Rosen's second year, a mark that can be reached with four matches remaining. Should Michigan get to the 20-win mark, it would be only the second time in the last 16 years the Wolverines have won 20 or more matches in a single season, and the first time since recording 21 wins in 1997.
News and Notes ...
Keeping an Eye on Things -- If things continue to progress as they have all season, Michigan will most likely set the school record for best hitting percentage and most block assists in a season. The Wolverines are currently hitting .251, .005 better than the .246 they posted last season, while U-M's 494 block assists are 20 shy of the 514 recorded by the 2002 squad.
Forming Her Own Club -- Junior Jennifer Gandolph accomplished something no other player in the history of U-M volleyball has in the program's 30-plus year history last Friday (Nov. 14) at No. 16 Penn State. With her 20th dig of the night, Gandolph recorded her 1,000th career dig, becoming the first player in the program's history to top the 1,000 mark in career digs and kills. Gandolph owns 1,159 career kills and 1,009 career digs to rank third and sixth in school history, respectively.
Movin' On Up -- Jennifer Gandolph jumped up to third place on U-M career kills chart over the weekend after tallying 34 terminations at Penn State and Ohio State. Gandolph, with 1,159 career kills, moved past Sarah Behnke (1,142 from 1997-2000).
She's Having a Great Year -- Jennifer Gandolph is posting the highest kills per game and digs per game totals of her career in 2003, averaging 3.91 and 3.36, respectively. Gandolph ranks ninth in the Big Ten in kills per game and eighth in digs per game.
Doubling Up -- Jennifer Gandolph, who owns a team-high 17 double-doubles (kills-digs) this season, has posted double digits in two categories in seven of her last nine outings. Gandolph has 50 career double-doubles in her 85 career matches.
Points for Accuracy -- Senior Nicole Poquette, who head coach Mark Rosen calls "the stabilizer" on the floor for the Wolverines, is hitting .285 to rank second on the team and holds U-M's top career hitting percentage with a .270 mark.
She Can Play Defense, Too -- In addition to being one of the Wolverines' most accurate hitters, Nicole Poquette has been lending a hand defensively. Poquette has tallied 10 or more digs in each of her last three matches, tying a season high. In addition, Poquette is averaging 0.90 blocks per game to rank third on the team, including a season-high seven blocks last Sunday (Nov. 16) at Ohio State.
Almost There ... -- One of the continuing stories in the Big Ten this season is the domination of freshmen in blocking. Two rookies, including Megan Bowman, are listed as the top two blockers in the Big Ten's overall statistics. Bowman ranks second among freshmen in the Big Ten and overall with a team-best 1.38 blocks per game, trailing only Penn State's Cassy Salyer (1.39) by a one-hundredth of a point.
Back with a Vengeance -- Megan Bowman returned to the starting lineup last Sunday (Nov. 16) at Ohio State after sitting out of two matches and proceeded to record her first career double-double, notching 10 kills and a career-high 10 blocks, including a career-best nine block assists. Bowman has topped the 10-kill mark four times this year, while her blocking effort marked the 15th time this season she has recorded five or more blocks.
Playing Both Sides of the Net -- In addition to her setting skills, Lisa Gamalski is averaging a career-best 0.55 blocks per game in addition to 2.37 digs per game, and she has notched 10 or more digs in eight of her last nine appearances, including six straight. Gamalski ranks seventh among the Big Ten's setters with 12.65 assists per game.
Double Trouble -- Lisa Gamalski has notched 11 of her 23 career double-doubles (assists-digs) this season, including eight in the last nine matches. Gamalski has registered a double-double in each of her last six appearances.
Welcome Back! -- Freshman Danielle Pflum returned to action last Friday (Nov. 14) at No. 16 Penn State after missing six matches with an injury. Pflum came off the bench to play in one game against the Nittany Lions before being inserted into the starting lineup last Sunday (Nov. 16) at Ohio State.
She's Everywhere -- In addition to ranking fifth among the Big Ten's top attackers with a career-high 4.38 kills per game, senior Erin Moore is tied for fifth in the conference in blocking with a career-best 1.25 blocks per game average.
Chasing History, Again... -- Erin Moore has established career highs for total blocks (127) and block assists (122) this season to lead the team in both categories, and she is in pursuit of the school record for totals blocks and block assists in a season, held by Katrina Lehman (1999-2000), who notched 156 and 135, respectively. Moore is 13 blocks shy of Lehman's block assist mark, while she trails Lehman by 29 for the total blocks record. Moore also has the single-season kill record in sight, needing just 60 to top Shannon Brownlee's record of 507, set in 1995. Moore has a career-best 447 terminations this season.
Leaving a Legacy -- Erin Moore has already set the school record for career kills this season and owns 1,309 career terminations entering this weekend's play. Moore, who is hitting a career-best .303 this season, ranks fourth in career hitting percentage at U-M with a .264 mark, and is seven attempts away from tying the school record for career hitting attempts, set by Sarah Behnke (3,017 from 1997-2000). In addition to her attacking skills, Moore ranks second in U-M history for block assists and total blocks with 34-363-397 totals.
The Streak Is Still Going -- Erin Moore has notched 10 or more terminations in all but two matches this season, including each of her last 17 appearances. The streak marks the most consecutive 10-kill matches of her career.
Posting a Streak of Her Own -- Junior Sarah Allen, the Wolverines' libero, continues to have a career year, ranking second on the team with a career-best 2.87 digs per game. Allen, who ranks 14th in the Big Ten in digs per game, has posted 10 or more digs in 16 matches this season, including 11 of her last 12 appearances and a career-high nine straight. Entering the 2003 campaign, Allen had just one match with at least 10 digs.
Freeballs -- In the latest NCAA statistics (through matches of Nov. 9), Michigan is 25th in assists per game, 27th in kills per game and 28th in blocks per game ... Michigan's 3-1 win at Ohio State last Sunday (Nov. 16) marked the first time in school history the Wolverines have won in Columbus, snapping a 24-match losing streak ...U-M is 0-12 in the program's history in State College, Pa., after falling to No. 16 Penn State in four games last Friday (Nov. 14) ... Jennifer Gandolph reached the 20-kill mark for the third time this season at Ohio State and posted her third 20-dig match of the season at No. 16 Penn State ... Candace Gay notched a career-high three digs at Penn State ... Alicia Boswell tallied a career-best three digs against the Nittany Lions ... Sarah Allen posted a career-high 23 digs at Ohio State, marking the first time in her career she has topped the 20-dig mark.
Next Up - Closing Out The Regular Season ...
The Wolverines will spend the Thanksgiving weekend on the road to close out the regular-season portion of their schedule, traveling to Illinois for matches against Illinois and Northwestern. U-M will venture to Champaign, Ill., on Friday, Nov. 28, to take on the Fighting Illini before heading up the road to Evanston, Ill., for a matchup with the Northwestern Wildcats on Saturday, Nov. 29. Both matches are slated for a 7 p.m. CST start.
If You've Been With Us All Season, These May Look Familiar ...
Playing the Percentages -- Michigan is 14-2 this season when it hits .250 or better. In games in which they hit .300 or better, the Wolverines are 5-0, while U-M owns a 2-0 record when recording a hitting percentage of .400 or better.
Anytime, Anywhere -- The motto "Anytime, Anywhere" was adopted by the Michigan volleyball team for its trip to Prague, Czech Republic, in August, and it seems the Wolverines have brought that mantra into the season. So far, U-M has won nine matches away from Cliff Keen Arena, surpassing last season's total of five. The Wolverines, with a 5-3 record on the road in Big Ten play, have already posted the most conference road wins since 1997, when U-M triumphed in six of its 10 road contests. Prior to this year, Michigan had recorded no more than two wins on the road in conference play during each of the last five seasons.
Layin' The Smackdown -- U-M's 30-9 win in the third game of its 3-0 (30-25, 30-18, 30-9) win at Iowa on Oct. 25 marked the first time the Wolverines have held an opponent to single digits in a 30-point game in the three seasons the rally-scoring-to-30 format has been used. The previous low was 12 points against Florida Atlantic earlier this season (Aug. 29) in a 30-26, 28-30, 30-12, 30-18 victory at the Florida State Invitational.
Home Sweet Home -- U-M is 8-5 at Cliff Keen Arena this season and has posted exactly 11 wins at home in each of the last three seasons. The Wolverines have two home matches remaining on their schedule.
Sweep Success -- Michigan's victories at Indiana and Purdue on Oct. 10-11 marked the first weekend road sweep for the Wolverines since 1997, when U-M went on the road and downed Minnesota and Iowa in back-to-back days.
One Less Thing To Worry About -- Michigan's 3-1 win at Ohio State on Nov. 16 marked the first win in U-M volleyball history in Columbus, snapping a 24-match losing streak to the Buckeyes on OSU's home court.
Triple Play -- Michigan captured three of its four pre-conference tournaments, marking the second time in school history U-M has won three in-season tournaments. The Wolverines captured the Michigan/Pepsi Challenge, Tennessee's Toyota Lady Vol Classic and the Michigan/Nike Challenge this season, equaling the feat set by the 1987 squad, which took three of its four in-season tournaments.
State Pride Banner Stays at Michigan -- Michigan retained the State Pride Series Banner, awarded annually to the winner of the Michigan-Michigan State series, by virtue of a 5-3 lead in games won. The last time Michigan, which captured the banner with a sweep of the Spartans last season, won consecutive State Pride Banners was from 1990-92, the first three years of the competition. Each team won a match this season, with U-M posting a 3-0 sweep in East Lansing on Oct. 1, while the Spartans recorded a 3-2 victory in Ann Arbor on Nov. 5.
Crowded Houses -- An even 2,800 fans, including a season-high 1,486 against No. 12 Penn State (Sept. 27), saw Michigan face Ohio State (Sept. 26) and Penn State, marking the second-highest weekend series attendance total in school history. The record is 3,066, set on Nov. 6-7, 1992, when U-M also hosted the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions ... U-M's 1,800 fans against Michigan State on Nov. 5 marked the fourth-largest home crowd in Michigan history.
This Seems Awfully Familiar ... -- The Wolverines' starting lineup may look a little familiar to those who have been watching the team for the past few seasons. Five of the six regular starters from last season -- juniors Lisa Gamalski and Jennifer Gandolph, along with seniors Erin Moore, Chantel Reedus and Nicole Poquette -- are back in 2003. Gamalski is in her second season as the regular starter at setter, while Gandolph, Moore, Reedus and Poquette have been regular starters since the 2001 campaign.
Taking On the Top 25 -- U-M is 1-7 against ranked opponents this season. The Wolverines have six teams that are currently ranked by the AVCA on their 2003 schedule.
Increasing Understanding of the Game -- In the final boxscores and cumulative statistics this season, there is a new "points" column. Points is a new statistic to allow fans and media new to the game a better understanding of the game of volleyball. Points are accumulated by adding kills, service aces and blocks (1 point for a solo, .5 for assists). The points feature allows fans and media to see how a certain player performed overall in a match. For example, if Erin Moore has a career-high 30 kills and scores 40 points, you can see that she has more weapons than just her offensive totals.
Oddities -- Since the Big Ten has 11 teams, each year there is a team that is considered the odd team because they do not have a travel partner. This year Wisconsin is the lone traveling team. When travel partners (i.e., Michigan and Michigan State) play each other on Wednesday night, they will play Wisconsin on either Friday or Saturday.
Moore Named Preseason All-Big Ten -- Senior Erin Moore was one of 12 student-athletes named to the Preseason All-Big Ten Team, marking the second straight year she has been selected to the squad. Moore earned All-Mideast Region honorable mention from the AVCA in 2002, becoming just the second U-M player in the program's history to receive all-region accolades from the AVCA. Moore was also named to the 12-member All-Big Ten team, improving upon her All-Big Ten honorable mention laurels in 2001.
U-M Picked Seventh in Big Ten Preseason Coaches Poll -- The Wolverines were tabbed to finish seventh in the Big Ten by the league's head coaches. Michigan, which tied for sixth in the Big Ten last year with a 10-10 mark, has improved its win total and position in the Big Ten standings during each year of head coach Mark Rosen's tenure. Last year's 10 wins were the most in league play since the 1997 campaign.
Serving Up Europe! -- The U-M volleyball team traveled to Prague, Czech Republic, Aug. 14-24 to compete against club teams in the Prague area as part of its preseason training. Player journals and photos from the Wolverines' trip are available on MGoBlue.com.
Contact: Paul Thomas (734) 763-4423
